What could go wrong?

Went to install the front driveshaft in Dice...... the original had been taken out to get rebuilt....... the CV Joint was pretty tore up.
Had a recently rebuilt one in my J-10 project....... pulled it out of Ben....... tried to put it in Dice....... too short....... won't even bolt up........ this is odd........
Bunch of head-scratching ensued...... tape measure was deployed...... AHAH!.....
Front springs have an offset center pin...... they were installed backwards!...... they had the short half to the front (shackle)...... should have the long half to the front (shackle).....
Axle was 1-1/2"+ too far forward..... doesn't look like much....... but the tire is definitely too far forward in the wheel well..... when you know what you're looking for.....

The tie rod was also on a collision course with the steering draglink...... if the front springs compressed more than 2"......

Easy fix?....... sure....... turn the springs around......
Except I hate the ROUGH Country springs....... I'm not going to pull them out..... swap ends...... install them again........ only to replace them later......
Instead...... ordered in my springs of choice....... Rancho RS44044....... along with new stock height rear springs and a Rancho 60612 Add A Leaf kit.......
Just like it would have been done in 1978!

What could go wrong?

Sarah and Flint, the twins, really like Dice!..... with 4 doors and no back seat....... much easier to jump into than Ruff the Bronco!
They're both looking forward to camping....... or at least a Flying Dutchman Run to In-N-Out Burger!

What could go wrong?

Had a heater blower motor that wasn't blowing........ wiper motor that wasn't wiping....... my fault though...... wipers were froze to the windshield..... turned them on....... stripped some gears!
The coolest thing about our little High Desert town....... we have a NAPA Auto Parts!....... we also have an AutoZone....... I only go there for Pine Tree air fresheners and Yosemite Sam "Back Off" mud flaps......
Anyways...... I only drive old stuff...... and NAPA always has what I need!...... The guys there always apologize when it takes a day or two to get there...... I'm ecstatic they still carry parts for old junk!....... half the time they have the parts in stock......

The heater blower motor is now blowing..... only on high speed though......need to look at some PO wiring "improvements"......

The wiper motor is now wiping....... even splurged on some new wiper blades!.......

Started fussing with the collapsing headliner...... can't wear my hat while driving....... fabric was falling away from the "cardboard"....... the "cardboard" was falling down also.........
While messing with it........ CRACK!........ broke a huge chunk of "cardboard"...... it fell way down...... supported by the fabric hammock...... OK....... just tear it all out.....
I can wear my hat inside now!.......

While I was in demolition mode........ tore out the carpet in the cargo area...... it was kind of nasty....... rather have vinyl/rubber back there anyway......
Good news though...... no rust in the back floor!......

Thanks Tim! Just a couple spots of cosmetic rust on the body........ so far nothing structural!
I'll get some rolls of that felt/foil insulation and glue it to the roof...... did that on the Bronco...... mostly helped with noise..... replace the headliner at some point down the road...... everytime I fix one thing........ I see two other things that need attention!

What could go wrong?

Loaded up for a quick trip to AZ..... need to get Dice all Titled and Registered...... you'll notice a couple of Triumph frames in there too..... a '47 and a '51..... need to get them Titled as a favor for a friend in Sweden......

Also will check on my 40 acres of Paradise near Hackberry....... then head back to CA for Mom's 80th Birthday!

What could go wrong?

Road Trip to Kingman AZ....... not an Overland trip by any means...... but a 500 mile round trip to see what could go wrong!
Dice did great..... lots of power with the 401..... rode nice...... very comfortable......

Did catch a photo of Dice in his natural habitat.....

Got to Kingman in the dark........ got a room {Oh, the Horror!} about a mile from the MVD..... enjoyed some Banquets and Pizza.....
Went to the MVD at the crack of 9:30 in the morning..... got the title and registration taken care of for Dice...... 5 years registration for $69.50 (!!!)..... no smog check necessary..... and my total time inside the building was less than 15 minutes!..... it was actually a pleasant experience......
I grew up in CA...... and I know how the DMV in CA works...... and how much they charge..... so I'm poking some fun here......

Next up was to cruise out to my little piece of Paradise..... near Hackberry...... off of I-40 it's 6 miles of good dirt road..... and 2 miles of bad dirt road......
My neighbor built a nice house....... and an Old West Town!...... for family get-togethers and field trips for school kids...... pretty cool.....

Up the slope to my place..... no electricity..... no water..... no telephone..... no natural gas...... virtually no neighbors..... you know...... perfect!

Headed back to CA for Mom's 80th birthday!..... driving across the Mojave...... no radio...... no passengers........ had a lot of time to think about what to do to Dice........